Seal for soaking pit covers



Patented July 6 1948 UNITED STATES Frank D. Hazen,

American Arch Company, Inc., New York, N.

a corporation of Delaware Application May 8, 1943, Serial No. 486,164

Claims. (Cl. 110- 173) My invention relates to soaking pit covers and more especially to an improved construction of .a sand seal for such covers.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description considered in connection with the accom- 'panying drawings which form a part of this specification and of which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a soak- 'ing pit cover embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale showing a portion of the device illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view looking in the direction of the arrow 3 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, reference character in designates generally a soaking pit having brick walls H. Extending along either side of the pit are rails l2 and 13 upon which is supported a travelling carriage M. The carriage is provided with flanged wheels l5 and 16 which run on the rails l2 .and I3 and which are mounted on shafts l1 supported in bearings to the frame of the carriage. An electric motor 49 is mounted on the frame and operatively connected to the shafts 41 through a gearreduction 20.

Also mounted on the frame is an electric motor 2! which drives shafts 22 through a gear reduction 23. Shafts 22 drive suitable hoisting mechanism arranged to raise and lower members 24, which extend beneath the frame of the carriage. The lower ends of the members 24 are secured to I-beams 2'5 which constitute the steel framework of a suspended arch 28. The construction of the carriage l4, together with the driving and hoisting mechanism as well as the construction of the suspended arch are all old and well known and consequently have not been described in detail. It is sufficient for an understanding of the present invention to state that the hoist mechanism operated by the motor 2| may raise and lower the suspended arch, while the driving motor causes the carriage together with the suspended arch to travel on the rails l2 and l3 so as to remove the soaking pit cover from the soaking pit.

A metal strip taken on the 21 is welded to the outer edge of the lower flange 28 of each of the I-beams 25, as is more clearly shown in Fig. 2. Bolted to the outer faces of the strips 21 is a plurality of metal members 29 and 30. The members 29 and 30 are of similar construction, except that the mem- IB which are attached the soaking pit bers 30 are formed with offset ends 3| which lap over the straight ends of members 29 in order to form a ship-lap joint between the two. When assembled, members 38 alternate members 29.

Both members 29 and til are formed with an upper plane portion 32 which is bolted to the strip 27 by means of the bolts 33. Below the portion 32 there is an offset portion 34, which extends inwardly beneath the flange 28 of the I-beam, but is spaced downwardly therefrom. Below the offset portion 34 is another offset portion which provides a downwardly extending flange 35. At spaced points'along the length of the members 29 and 30 thereare provided ribs 36 which extend at right angles to the other portions of the members.

The upper surface of each of the walls ll of is formed with a trough preferably provided with a metal lining 31. The flange '35 is adapted to extend into this trough when the soaking pit cover is in its lowermost position. The trough is'filled with sand or other suitable granular heat-resisting material so as to form, together with the members 29 and 30, a seal for preventing escape around the edges of the cover of hot gases from the soaking pit.

As will be seen from Fig. 2, the offset portion 24 of the members 29 and 30 provides a shoulder 33 for supporting a T-shaped tile 39 which fills the space immediately below the flange 28 of the I-beam 25. Tile 39 is also supported by a suitable shoulder 40 formed on the adjacent tile 4| which is part of the suspended arch.

When it is desired to open the soaking pit the soaking pit cover is raised by the hoisting mechanism sufficiently so that the flange 35 clears the upper edge of the wall H. Thereafter, the soaking pit cover may be moved from above the pit by running the carriage along the rails l2 and 3. The pit may be closed by running the carriage along the rails until the cover is directly above the pit whereupon it may be lowered by the hoisting mechanism, the flanges 35 penetrating the sand in the trough.

The members 29 and 30 are maintained at a relatively low temperature by virtue of the large radiating surfaces presented to the atmosphere, due in part to the extension of the members. above the lower flange of the I-beam. Such surface is also materially increased by the provision of the ribs 36 which ribs also serve to strengthen the members 29 and 3H and thus prevent warping thereof. Heat is also carried away from the members 29 and 30 by conduction through the strips 27 and I-beam 25 to which these strips are welded. The provision of tile 39 immediately and 30 protects the I-beam and most of the surface of members 29 and 38 from direct contact with the hot gases.

Leakage of hot gases between the members ZB and 3B is prevented by the ship-lap construction. If it is desired to remove one of the members 29 this may be done by taking out the bolts 33 which hold this member to the strip 27, whereupon the member may be moved downwardly until it has cleared the lower edge of the overlapping ends 3| of the members 39 on either side thereof; This operation may be perfofn'id'when the soaking pit cover has been removed from directly above the pit, thus giving roomfo'r th'e'member 29 to be dropped downwardly. A member 3.9

may be removed by simply removing the bolts which secure it to the strip 21 and then moving the jmem ber 'putwardly' in a horizontal direction.

portion below said shoulder. n

V 2. In "asoa'king "pit coverg'a'nretai framework titling an" I beam at the edge of said'cover sealing members removably secured in heat transfer relation to said strip and extending downwardly below said lower flange, alternate sealing ends, said offset ends lapping over said straight ends.

4. A metalsealing member for a soaking pit cover comprising an elongated sealing member having a longitudinally-extending portion by second longitudinally extending portion ofiset on the opposite side of said supporting portion from said'shoulder, said second offset portion having a longitudinally extending sealing edge extending from said second offset portion-tosaid supporting portion.

5. Ametal sealing mem'ber for a soaking pit cover comprising an elongated sealing member having a longitudinally extending portion :by

said shoulder, said longitudinally extending sealing. sedge .extending downwardly from said: supporting portion, one end of said sealing offset portion to said supporting portion.

7 v HAZEN. REFEREN ES CITED The-following references are of record in the file of this'patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,052,187 Mawhinney Aug-25, 1936 2,091,979 Hamlink Sept. '7, 1937 2,124,888 Morton et a1. "July 28,1938 2,159,844 Dean May-23,i1939 2,178,668 Longnecker N0v. 7,- 1939 2,189,281)

- Croft Feb, 46, 1940 

